Saving the Syrians

As the Syrian crisis goes from bad to worse, international calls for military intervention are increasing. But the argument for intervening runs into serious trouble when we consider whether to do so would cause more harm than good.

CANBERRA – Despite the United Nations Security Council’s belated endorsement of UN Special Envoy Kofi Annan’s peacemaking mission in Syria, confidence that Syrian President Bashar al-Assad will cooperate in any serious or sustained way remains low, and calls for external military intervention continue. As Syria’s crisis goes from bad to worse, those urging armed force are invoking both the tragedy of inaction in Rwanda and Bosnia in the 1990’s, and the triumph of decisive international action in Libya last year.

The proposals run the spectrum, from establishing no-fly zones, buffer zones, “no-kill zones,” safe-havens, and protected humanitarian corridors to arming the Free Syrian Army to fight Assad’s regime. Still others urge outright invasion to overthrow it. The agonizing question for those who believe that the international community has a responsibility to stop mass-atrocity crimes is not only whether any of these options is practically achievable, but also whether they will do more good than harm.

No military option currently has any chance of support from a UN Security Council that is still largely paralyzed by a backlash against NATO’s perceived overreach of its civilian-protection mandate in Libya. The only military option that has received any practical international backing so far – reportedly from some of Syria’s Sunni Gulf neighbors – is the arming of opposition forces.

It was a heated argument in Responsibility to protect in UN after the intervention of NATO, then Russia and China disagreed military action and joined by the Arab League, When the status quo other than atrocity against its people appeared obvious that the claim of genocide or suppression was not accurate since both the Syrian military and its resistance forces are fully armed and they engaged in its civil war. So, “With more than 9,000 people already dead in Syria and the toll rising daily, this criterion certainly seems to have been satisfied, although the violence is no longer as one-sided as it was at the outset.” It is also true that the Sectarian difference in Syria are profound; and there is little international confident for the opposite in creating another regime in democracy or pro-human-rights. So, it leaves to Mr. Koffi Annan’s political persuasion, and it seemed to work that they agree to cease fire.

I think Mr. Gareth Evans suggested that Russian should know how to rub the magic lamp and pop out the genie; but there is no magic in term of the Arab World if the Arab League is stalling on the sideline. I see Mr. Annan is working hard in traveling Russia and China in working on the details after the agreement; and there must be another negotiators in remanding the supplies of ammunition and firearms that the Sunni neighbor’s enthusiastic support for intervention in Syria with another agenda: anti-Iranian and pro-Sunni sentiment. I often emphasize on the self help process which I suggest the Arab League must participate in regulating their internal struggles including the Arab World and its minorities; in order to stop further damage; so, the Arab League must divide over the issues on pro-Sunni sentiment and how its minorities like Shiites, Kurds, Alawites, Christians can live among the Arab world. There may not be a democratic government like the Western alike; I do think there is more of the Arabic wisdom in navigating the western criticism and reuniting the Islamic nations to bargain on a better living on its own.

Since I never been in the Middle East or Syria, I may not know the reality of the livelihood there; however, humanity and dignity are essential to establish ones right identifies with the rest of the world if the Arab world is not building on its Apartheids on its minorities. Perhaps, we all realize it is a very delicate situation and the cease fire agreement is fragile; there should be no stone throwing in the glasshouse; or we may start pouring money in our gas tanks in a selfish reason. Nonetheless, it was harder for restoring the global economy and dearer for humanity if Syria cracked itself to balkanization before our eyes.

Thereon, I do think Mr. Assad should lead Syria to turn its nation to more integrated to faiths and nations; and I hope Mr. Annan and the Arab League would see the way to calm its sentiments of anti-western and weight on the gravity based humanity and sovereignties; subsequently it can restore the balance on the capitalists and communists in its economical terms and military confrontation.

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PS OnPoint

The Mueller report in America, along with reports of interference in this week’s European Parliament election, has laid bare the lengths to which Russia will go to undermine Western democracies. But whether Westerners have fully awoken to the threat is an open question.

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